Jill Duson

Jill Duson (born 1953) is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and politician from Portland, Maine.

Jill Duson
Assumed office
December, 2001
Personal details
Born1953
Chester, Pennsylvania
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Divorced
ChildrenTwo
ResidencePortland, Maine
OccupationAttorney, Lobbyist, Retail

Duson has served on both the Portland School Board[1] and the Portland, Maine City Council since 2001. In 2004, Duson became the first African-American mayor of Maine's largest city and the first African-American women mayor in the state when she was elected by her fellow council members to chair meetings under the city's then council-manager system.[2]

In 2011, Duson ran for the newly-created position of mayor. Rep. Anne Haskell was her campaign manager.[3] She finished in sixth place out of fifteen candidates on the ballot.

In 2012, Duson was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and a Democratic elector in the general election.[4] She was a supporter of President Barack Obama.[5]

In June 2016, Duson ran for the Democratic nomination for State Senate in her district. She lost to Representative and former sheriff Mark Dion.[6]

In November 2017, Duson was re-elected for the fifth time over two challengers.[7] Soon thereafter, she declared her intent to seek the nomination for State Senate in the 2018 election after Dion announced his intention to run for governor.[8] In June, Duson received approximately 41% of the votes in the Democratic primary and lost to Rep. Heather Sanborn.[9]

Policies

In April 2015, Duson led the charge to reduce the city's minimum wage to $8.75 an hour from the proposed $10.10 per hour proposed by Mayor Michael F. Brennan. Duson's proposal passed the city's Finance Committee before being rejected by the City Council in favor of the original proposal.[10]

Personal

Duson grew up impoverished in Chester, Pennsylvania. Her mother was part of a rent strike when she was a child. However, she earned a B.A. from Antioch College, a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and a Certificate in Senior Executive in State & Local Government from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.[3]

Duson has dealt with financial troubles, including potential foreclosure on her home in Portland's North Deering neighborhood. According to court records, she "had about $73 in the bank" at the time of her 2012 bankruptcy. In 2017, Duson was still fighting to avoid foreclosure.[11]

Outside of elected office, Duson has worked as a lobbyist for Central Maine Power,[1] Director of Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, Maine Department of Labor, compliance director for the Maine Human Rights Commission as well as in retail with L.L.Bean.[4]

References
  1. Harry, David (May 16, 2016). "Election 2016: Portland, Westbrook Democrats tout experience in Senate District 28 primary". The Forecaster. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  2. Lee, Maureen Elgersman (2005). Black Bangor: African Americans in a Maine Community, 1880-1950. UPNE. pp. 21–. ISBN 9781584654995. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  3. Singer, Jason (October 25, 2011). "Jill Duson: Strong resume, plus life experience". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  4. Delaney, Arthur (September 4, 2012). "Middle Class Meltdown At DNC". HuffPost. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  5. "Maine electors cast votes for Obama, Biden". Bangor Daily News. December 17, 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  6. Bridgers, Leslie (June 14, 2016). "Rep. Mark Dion wins Democratic primary for Senate seat in Portland, Westbrook". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  7. Koenig, Seth (November 7, 2017). "2 incumbents, 1 newcomer win in Portland council races". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  8. "Duson runs for Dion seat in state Senate". Keep Me Current. January 4, 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  9. Graham, Gillian (June 12, 2018). "Portland Rep. Sanborn wins Democratic primary for state senate". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  10. McCracker, Carol (April 15, 2015). "Duson's Proposal to Reduce Minimum Wage Passes Finance Committee". Munjoy Hill News. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  11. Bleiberg, Jake (April 6, 2017). "Portland city councilor battling credit union to keep her house". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
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